Free checklist
Rooftop solar PVRooftop solar PV final inspection checklist
Rooftop solar PV final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against NEC (NFPA 70), the applicable building code, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo evidence it needs
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.
Modules and mechanical
Modules seated and clamps torqued to spec
Every module fully seated in the clamp, clamps torqued with a calibrated tool to the module and rail maker's value, marked after torque.
No module damage on the finished array
Glass free of cracks, chips or pressure marks; backsheet and frames undamaged; no footprints or point loads across the field.
Module model on the label matches the approved submittal
Module label on an accessible edge row read for maker, model and rating and compared with the approved submittal; module count per the plan.
Clamps inside the module's clamping zone with even gaps
Mid and end clamps within the clamping zone the module maker allows, gaps between modules even, end clamps set back from rail ends as the racking maker says.
Grounding and wiring
Grounding and bonding continuous across the array
Bonding jumpers, lugs or listed clips at every rail and module per the system, equipment grounding conductor landed, continuity confirmed end to end.
Wire management holds conductors off the roof
Home runs and module leads clipped to the rack with listed clips or trays, drip loops formed, no conductors resting on or dragging the roof.
Array connectors fully mated and from matching makers
Module and home-run connectors looked at without unplugging: clicked fully home, mated pairs from the same maker or listed together, none lying in a water path.
Conduit, combiner and inverter connections complete
Conduit fully supported and sealed at transitions, combiner and inverter terminations torqued, covers on, no open knockouts.
Rapid shutdown and energization
Rapid-shutdown function and labeling in place
Initiation device installed and reachable, module-level shutdown devices present, placard and directory labels legible at the disconnect and inverter.
Commissioning and energization observed and documented
System brought online with the crew present, inverter status and string readings recorded, the commissioning record photographed.
Installer's pre-energization string test report on file
The licensed installer's report lists polarity, open-circuit voltage and insulation resistance per string, with the meter used, dated before startup.
No photoRapid-shutdown test observed as the licensed installer runs it
Installer operates the initiation device while the crew watches from a safe spot; the installer's readings at the array written on the commissioning record.
No photoAHJ final and utility permission to operate recorded
Final electrical inspection result and the utility's permission to operate noted with dates before the system is left running unattended.
No photo
Labels at raceways and the service
Raceways and boxes labeled as PV circuits along their run
Field labels on exposed conduit, covers and enclosures identifying the PV circuit at the spacing the plan's labeling sheet shows, legible from the floor or roof.
Point of connection labeled at the service equipment
At the panel or switchgear where the PV ties in, the backfed breaker or connection and the warning signs from the labeling sheet seen from outside the dead front.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Module clamps run down by hand or an uncalibrated driver, so torque was assumed rather than set to the clamp maker's value.
- Conductors zip-tied straight to the rail with no drip loop, left to sag onto the roof membrane where they abrade in the wind.
- Rapid-shutdown labeling and the initiation device installed, but the shutdown function never actually triggered and watched at the modules.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this rooftop solar pv final checklist cover?
- 15 items across 4 sections, covering modules and mechanical, grounding and wiring, rapid shutdown and energization, labels at raceways and the service. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The install crew lead with the electrician, and the GC's superintendent for the walk before commissioning.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After all modules are set and the electrical is terminated, at the commissioning and energization visit before the array is turned over.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 20 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a rooftop solar pv final inspection?
- Module clamps run down by hand or an uncalibrated driver, so torque was assumed rather than set to the clamp maker's value. Conductors zip-tied straight to the rail with no drip loop, left to sag onto the roof membrane where they abrade in the wind. Rapid-shutdown labeling and the initiation device installed, but the shutdown function never actually triggered and watched at the modules.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Related checklists
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 20 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.